People's Daily Online, Beijing, December 10 (Reporter Qiao Yeqiong) Today, the National Health Commission held a press conference to introduce the prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases in winter and answer questions from reporters.
At the meeting, a reporter asked whether you should continue to receive influenza vaccination if you have already developed flu-like symptoms but have not been diagnosed and recovered on your ownWhen should I be vaccinated?
In this regard, Xia Gang, director of the Department of Health and Immunization of the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention, said that if flu-like symptoms have appeared, it is still recommended to continue to receive influenza vaccination after not being diagnosed and curing on their own.
Xia Gang explained that first, the symptoms of respiratory tract infection are not specific, and flu-like symptoms such as fever and headache may occur in a variety of pathogenic infections. However, if you have these symptoms, you are not necessarily infected with the influenza virus, but you may also be infected with other pathogens, the most common being the common cold. Second, there are multiple types and subtypes of influenza viruses that can cause epidemics, for example, there are both A and B, and there are both H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes in A. If you are infected with one type or subtype, you may also be at risk of being infected with other types or subtypes. Influenza vaccines are multivalent vaccines that cover many different types and subtypes, which are commonly used as trivalent and quadrivalent vaccines. If you are infected with a certain type of influenza and receive a vaccine, it still contains other types of influenza components, and it can still play a role in preventing that type of influenza.
In addition, Xia Gang said, in the same epidemic season, it is usually common by different types and subtypes. For example, at present, the predominant subtype A (H3N2) is the main type, followed by influenza B, and there have been cases in the past where the dominant strain in the epidemic has gradually changed from one type to another in the same epidemic season. Therefore, even if you have recently experienced flu-like symptoms, it is recommended to get the flu vaccine as soon as possible after recovery, especially in key groups such as the elderly, as vaccination can reduce infection and reduce the risk of severe disease and death.
*: People's Daily Online).